MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER RUDY YORK DIED — OF CHEROKEE HERITAGE
Born August 17, 1913, in Ragland, Alabama, Preston Rudy York, of Cherokee ancestry, grew up in Cartersville, Georgia. A fearsome hitter, managers had to figure out where he’d do least damage as a fielder. Yet, he spent 13 seasons in the majors playing in 4 All‐Star Games. York won minor league Most Valuable Player awards in 1935 and 1936. In 1937, as a Tiger rookie, he hit 18 home runs in August, a one‐month mark that stood till 1998. He played in two World Series’ with the Tigers—1940 and 1945—and one with the Boston Red Sox—1946. In a 1946 game, he hit two Grand Slam home runs and drove in 11 runs—both single-game records. Finishing up with the Chicago White Sox in 1947 and Philadelphia A’s in 1948, he later coached the Red Sox and managed in the minors until 1963. York later returned to Cartersville working as a painter. He hit 277 major league homers, drove in 1,152 runs and batted .275.
Source: “Rudy York, a Holder of Records As a Big League Batsman, Dies,” New York Times, 2/6/1970, Pg. 37. Retrieved 6/6/2019, https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/06/archives/rudy-york-a-holder-of-records-as-a-big-league-batsman-dies-detroit.html
Photo: Author unknown, 1945. No known copyright. Public domain.